Size control of silver nanoclusters during ion-assisted pulse-plasma deposition of carbon-silver composite thin films

Abstract We present an investigation of carbon-silver composite thin films obtained by ion-assisted pulse-plasma sputtering of graphite cathode with silver inclusions. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to analyze the films structural properties. It was shown that the films consist of amorphous carbon matrix and silver nanoclusters. The increase of assisting ions energy from 0 eV to 300 eV resulted in decrease of silver nanoclusters average size and their number density increase. Variation of the films extinction spectra with deposition parameters change was studied.